In a surprising yet welcome act of courage, outgoing President Donald Trump signed an executive order back in February. This action, intended to combat the federal trend of phasing out plastic straws, has created quite a public uproar. As the environmental impact of various straw types is coming under increasing scrutiny, Order 14208 has been issued. This order is unique in that it focuses specifically on the regulation of paper and plastic straws.
The order emphasizes a preference for straws that “have the strength and durability of plastic straws,” according to a proposed rule introduced by the Trump administration. The implementation of this rule specifically pertains to federal government contractors. It applies durability standards to straws supplied when serving military bases and departments and Veterans Administration facilities. This measure would take a cue from California, where a state law barring restaurants from automatically handing out plastic straws was signed into law in 2018.
The White House Domestic Policy Council further elaborated on this issue in a report titled “National Strategy to End the Use of Paper Straws,” released in March. This report does an excellent job supporting the claim that paper straws do not possess the structural integrity required for proper use. President Trump seems to agree with both of these sentiments, opining that paper straws “don’t cut it.”
Even the federal government is moving to eliminate non-plastic paper straws. While many restaurants have installed these straws as green-wash alternatives, the goal should be to reduce that dependence. Despite this, the report contends that plastic straws “represent an insignificant share of pollution,” raising questions about the rationale behind the push for their elimination.
The administration truly wants to meaningfully involve the public in this enormously consequential conversation. As this is still a proposed rule, citizens can submit their comments on the rule’s details at Regulations.gov for the next 60 days. This is an important opportunity for people and organizations to weigh in on the future of straw use at federal facilities.
The regulation as proposed does serve to further illuminate the deepening discord between environmental goals and real-world application here on earth. Consumers and businesses are still rapidly figuring out what these policies mean. It will be interesting to see how this ends up framing the larger conversation on sustainability and waste management overall.
